I have the 24-105 and delighted I did.
It’s pricey alright but results speak for itself.
But forget about it if you like shooting in low light f4
It’s an EF Lens too so if you ever did decide to go full frame you won’t be offloading it.
The problem with an L lens is that your want more of them.
I know you said your rather buy offline, but I bought, Canon Battery grip, 2 non Canon Batteries included in the deal ?80, not including p&P from Hong Kong.
Bought the Canon RS-60E3 from the same seller, that was a little over ?4 not including P&P, if you were buying online, you could mail the seller before purchase, and ask him if he would bundle the items to save on postage.
On one Photo magazine I saw the same grip NO BATTERIES for ?69.99 – ?94
Dunno about telling you about the seller, or his business on this site, but if you change your mind and decide to buy online msg me